More than 60 sick babies linked to toxic baby formula, says UK Health Security Agency

The UK Health Security Agency has confirmed it is investigating more than 60 cases of babies falling ill after being fed toxic baby formula.

Food and drink giant Nestle recalled dozens of batches of its SMA infant formula and follow-on formula in January.

The recall, which has affected more than 60 countries, was sparked by concerns about the presence of cereulide, a heat-resistant toxin that can cause symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps.

Danone has also recalled batches of Aptamil and Cow & Gate first infant milk, citing the same contamination concerns.

See the list of recalled products

The UKHSA said it is looking into cases from across the UK where children have fallen ill with symptoms "consistent with cereulide toxin poisoning".

Investigators said 35 of the babies were male and 26 were female.

Confirmed infections due to other seasonal viruses were only noted in "some" of the children, said the UKHSA.

Since the first Nestle recall in early January, Sky News has spoken with several families who unknowingly fed their babies from affected batches.

Chloe Fernandes's eight-month-old daughter Rebecca needed hospital treatment after being fed a now-recalled batch of prescription-only SMA formula.

"Rebecca became very ill mid-December," Ms Fernandes, from Nottinghamshire, told Sky News.

"She had horrific diarrhoea and severe vomiting which led to her choking and needing to go to hospital."

Her daughter was treated for dehydration and has since fully recovered.

Ms Fernandes added: "All parents need answers. It was a horrific experience."

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Stuart Smith, 39, told Sky News about the "traumatising" experience of seeing his baby son in hospital after he started persistently vomiting after feeds.

The events account director, from Kent, said his son Elis was fed Nestle's SMA formula from birth after he'd struggled with breastfeeding due to tongue-tie.

"Elis wasn't eating and was very upset," Mr Smith said. "He also wasn't putting on weight."

In hospital, Elis was given treatment for dehydration and underwent numerous investigative procedures.

But Mr Smith said medics, at the time, were "struggling to understand" what was wrong.

It was only later that Mr Smith learnt that they'd been feeding their son from now-recalled batches of formula, news that "devastated" both him and his wife.

"We felt guilty," Mr Smith said.

"As new parents, your whole world focuses on keeping them safe, and to know that it was something so avoidable was awful."

"We want answers."

A spokesperson for Danone North Europe told Sky News: "We would like to reassure all parents that our infant formula products on sale are safe. To date there are no confirmed cases of sickness or symptoms linked to our products."

The UKHSA confirmed to Sky News that "testing capabilities" to fully confirm cereulide poisoning in affected children are "currently limited in the UK", something it is working to remedy.

But its investigation has confirmed toxin was introduced into the formula via an ingredient, an oil, produced by a third-party manufacturer and shared by both Nestle and Danone - although both producers have now confirmed they are no longer using the supplier.

"Testing of the recalled formula has confirmed presence of the toxin in some batches at levels that exceed limits set by the European Food Safety Authority and therefore pose a potential health risk," said Gauri Godbole, the UKHSA's deputy director of gastrointestinal infections.

"Parents and caregivers are advised to recheck and remove all recalled formula from their homes to prevent illness in their children."

In a statement, Nestle said it was "very sorry to hear about these cases".

"Our teams will work closely with any families who report these types of concerns to us," it said.

"All batches of the ingredient (from other suppliers) are now being systematically tested to confirm the absence of cereulide."

(c) Sky News 2026: More than 60 sick babies linked to toxic baby formula, says UK Health Security Agency